Take 5: ‘I don’t know who burnt my school, but it is bad’, says Kashmir student

Basit's school caught fire on October 30, becoming one of the nearly 30 Valley schools to have been burnt down.

Basit is a Class XI student of the Kabamarg Government Higher Secondary School in south Kashmir.

Basit is a Class XI student of the Kabamarg Government Higher Secondary School in south Kashmir. The school caught fire on October 30, becoming one of the nearly 30 Valley schools to have been burnt down in mysterious fires in the past three months.

How long have you been in the school?

I joined a year ago. The school is not very far from my place. It hardly takes 10-15 minutes to reach there.

When and how did you hear of the school burning down?

I was in the fields when I heard about the school burning. My friend Aaqib Rafiq called me when he heard about it. I could not visit it that day but I went the next day. I found that all the classrooms were burnt. Only the administrative building remains. I don’t know who did it, but it is bad.

Do you miss your school, and what do you miss the most?
Obviously, I miss the school and my friends. The lawn is my favourite place, where I hang out with friends.

What is your favourite subject in school?
I like English the best.

Are you in touch with your friends?
I have not been able to remain in contact with them as there are protests, shutdowns and curfews all the time. I occasionally find someone on the street. Aaqib is my best friend; I met him the other day.